Bay County economic impact from Hurricane Michael larger than Hurricane Irma

It was reported at Tuesday's County Commission meeting that the economic impact on Northwest Florida and its recovery efforts far exceeded that of Hurricane Irma which affected 50 counties in the Florida peninsula.

As an example, the annual budget for just Miami-Dade County was $7.4 billion as compared to Bay County's $362 million annual budget.

Damages from Hurricane Irma in Miami-Dade amounted to $372 million as compared to $661 million in Bay County. The per capita impact of Hurricane Irma was $135 per person. Hurricane Michael's was $3,650 per person.

Bay County Manager Bob Majka said, "In all totality, their expenses represented about five percent of their budget and here we're seeing it represents over 200 percent of our budget. So, not just the damage the people see, but the financial impact of that is just, they're just universes apart."

The Long Term Recovery Task Force report, which is in its final stages, will be instrumental in procuring Supplemental Disaster Funding for future recovery projects.